


Angel

by Mystic_Girl_84_Blackness



Category: Holby City
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 21:51:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17292083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Girl_84_Blackness/pseuds/Mystic_Girl_84_Blackness
Summary: Dom and Lofty decorate for Christmas (I know its a late publication but I didn't have the energy to publish it over the holidays) and Dom finds an unusual decoration while he's reorganising the Christmas tree, which leads to a pretty trough tragic tale.OC Death. Nor Dom/Lofty. Shouldn't trigger but just in case.





	Angel

OK so I was unsure of the Holby Dofty wedding timeline, so this is after they were married, but before Lofty's Gran had surgery. I know it's a little late. I hope you enjoy. Reviews and constructive critism are always welcome.

Lofty had begun decorating their place. While Lofty could be considered a 'neat freak' about somethings, Christmas wasn't one of them. Lofty had decorated a lot while Dom was at work, and Lofty loved random decorations over the tree, like a pretty a snow angel, next to a blue cracker, next to a red bauble. Christmas was chaos and fun. Dom however  liked everything to be symmetrical, ordered, fancy and tidy.  
Dom arrived back and smiled at the sight, Lofty had set the tree up and put on the lights which was Dom's least favourite job. He was glad Lofty had done that, though slightly intregued as to why the decorations on the tree were everywhere. Now Dom felt he had to step in.  
"Hey" He said by way of greeting as his husband turned around to face him  
"Hi, I started decorating the tree" Lofty said  
"I can see that" Dom answered with a loving smile   
"Sorry if you wanted us to do it together, I did the tree, then the lights then got carried away"  
"Don't worry I can finish and touch up the tree" Dom answered eyeing the odd assortment of decorations. For a neat freak, the tree looked very messy and Dom liked his Christmas tree perfectly decorated. He didn't like helping out with decorating the tree when he was a teenager. He remembered when he was young, watching his Mum position things manically, and it would bug him so much that he would rearrange the tree. His Mum and him kept this silent arrangement, each knowing the others tricks. Looks like it was time to work the magic on his husband, taking into account his husbands requests were possible of course.  
"Can I... Move some things around?" Dom asked  
"Sure, it's our tree, not my tree. I was about to get a drink. Did you want one?"  
"Tea, please" Dom  
Lofty disappeared and Dom set to work on the tree. When Lofty came out 10 minutes later, lots of things were rearranged. Lofty had to admit it did look neater.  
"I've rearranged things..." Dom started  
"No it looks good" Lofty reassures him  
"But look we can do the rest of the house together" Dom said  
Lofty nodded and looked over the tree.noticing something missing.  
"Dom, wheres the angel?" He asked  
"Oh I put it at the back of the tree, as it didn't match the red and gold theme. Its cute though." Dom said  
"Right, well I'm going to take it down, it can go next to my bed" Lofty said retreaving it "or anywhere else?  
"It's not, well it's not red, gold or green which was our colour scheme, so.. I mean it can still go on the tree" Dom said picking up his husband flat tone   
"It's fine" Lofty said gently holding the angel and stroking down the wings, looking deep wistful silence   
Dom looked on in confusion at his husbands gentle, almost tender moments and realised this angel meant something to Lofty, he just didn't know what.  
"Is it... I mean.. I'm sorry.. Is it really important?" Dom asked gently "Did a patient make it for you?" Lofty shook his head  
"No... right let's get some dinner" Lofty said  
"Look, what's wrong? Please tell me. Is it because I rearranged the tree? I'm sorry, it just bothered me..when I was younger, Mum had a chaotic tree full of little things I made through the years, which was sweet but so embarrassing. I used to rearrange it so handmade things were hidden at the back of the tree, Mum pretended she didn't notice, it was kind of our tradition"  
"That does sound sweet, we did that for a few years, I guess that's were the chaos came from."  
"Isn't it odd, that's where I think my tidy Christmas streak came from. Sorry this is meant to be our first Christmas and our first decorations and first everything... OURS... not mine."  
"No I get it, I mean I started before you came home"  
"No I'm glad you did. I hate dealing with the lights" Dom confessed "Does the Angel...mean a lot to you?" Dom asked quietly  
"I made it when I was 18" Lofty said  
"18 and you still made things for the tree? That's really cute" Dom said with a smile before it turned to a look of concern at Lofty's sad tone "Did you make it with a group or on your own?"  
"It was made at a bereavement group" Lofty said quietly  
"Oh" Dom said aware of the death of Lofty's Mum when he was 17 but unaware of the circumstances, as Lofty was reluctant to ask and Dom never wanted to push him over edge. He knew Lofty would tell him time. "Your Mum?"  
"My Mum" Lofty agreed gently stroking the angels wings  
"Oh, was..." Dom began  
"I could have made a star and something else, but Mum was angel, I read angels look down on your and watch over you. I got quite into 'Touched by an angel' I thought it was a lovely idea you know, She'd gone to be with the angels in heaven as a friend told me at the time." Lofty said with a sad smile  
"Oh" Dom said uncertain how to finish the comment. To be honest he didn't have faith in those things, and was quite surprised his grounded husband appeared to have that faith. After Arthur's death he wished he'd had that kind of belief.  
"Yeah, when she was cremated, Gran asked for a small pot of my Mums ashes.... She put them in a small bag then sewed them into the angel for me. She said Mum would always be there watching me, looking out for me" Lofty said looking at his hands with misty eyea  
Dom looked down at his hands before gently taking Lofty's hand. It broke his heart to see his husband so tearful, but he wanted to know everything about his husband.  
"Oh Lofty" Dom said in a consoling tone  
"Anyway I'm going to make dinner" Lofty said suddenly and Dom recognised the need for space, he gently gave his husband's hand a squeeze before letting Lofty go and finish dinner. Lofty left the angel on the side and Dom found his eyes drawn to it. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to lose his Mum at 17 and even now when his Mum was ill, it worried him. The few scares he'd had, really worried him and Lofty would have been going through so many changes at that time too. If his mother was anything like Lofty, and from what little he knew of Lofty's Dad, Arthur, it wouldn't surprise him but his mother must have been the kindest soul possible. Dom decided in that moment to do something about the tree.  
Lofty came out with 2 meals and sat down with Dom. Dom smiled in thanks and Lofty let his eyes wonder to the tree, the decorations had been removed  
"Why have the decorations been taken from the tree?"  
"Well after dinner I thought we could do it together, so it's our tree" Dom said  
"That's sweet but it looked good" Lofty answered  
"Well we are going to make it look even better" Dom said with a smile filled with a warmth that he felt for his husband.  
They redecorated the tree once they had eaten. Lofty watched Dom trying his hardest not critise where Lofty put things  
"I can't decide... Does this rocking horse look better here on the left or the right?" Lofty said motioning to the sides of tree  
"You've already got a bell on the left, so maybe the right?" Dom suggested  
"Sounds good" Lofty answered placing the decorations all around. He had put some Christmas music on in the background to aid the mood.  
"I love this song!" Lofty exclaimed when "Merry Christmas everyone" came on and Lofty began to drag Dom around the room, dancing completely erratically (well that was putting a label on Lofty's 'dancing' Dom thought generously) before pulling Dom into him and swinging him around making Dom smile.  
"You are crazy" Dom said with a laugh  
"Maybe... We're gonna have a party tonight, I'm gonna find myself underneath the mistletoe and kiss by candle light...."  
Lofty lent forward to kiss Dom, holding a piece of mistletoe over their heads, before continuing his 'dance' in the loosest term possible.  
"We've finished. So fancy a tea, coffee or naughty hot chocolate?"  
"Naughty hot chocolate?" Dom asked in confusion  
"Baileys and Hot chocolate" Lofty said with a smile  
"I'll have one of those" Dom said with a smile 

Lofty left the room to make them. Dom picked up the angel Lofty had left on the side and upon closer inspection saw it was beautifully sown together. Dom knew that it was the same angel he'd disregarded earlier, but now it was the most beautiful decoration with the most meaning, and for a brief second wondered if he should make one for Arthur. Dom decided in that moment that he would get a special decoration, one that both him and Lofty would choose together to celebrate their first christmas as a couple. Dom couldn't help but smile at the thought. Something special chosen together, then they could add to it every year and maybe, maybe one day a child would add to it. He gently picked up the angel, noting a string tied around it's waist to secure it to the tree. The tree was just a little too tall for him to reach the top, where he felt the angel belonged.  
He got a chair from the dining room, gingerly standing up on it and went to place the angel on the top, however it was a slightly unstable chair. Lofty returned with the drinks and noticed the chair Dom was standing on wobble. Dom had failed to see him yet. Lofty put down the drinks, and walked towards the tree, as Dom lent back a bit to far to place the decoration on top, he lost his balance on the wobbly chair only to find himself steady with a hand in his back and another hand on the chair.  
"Thanks," Dom said  
"Jeeze Dom" Lofty said good naturedly  
Dom tied the decoration to the top of the tree. Lofty hadn't seen it yet, too focused in making sure his husband didn't break something. When Dom came down he looked up at the decoration and smiled, before looking at his husband.  
"But I thought..." Lofty.began  
"What's important to you, is important to me, the memory you have attached to it, and the story...Now your Mum will continue to watch us" Dom said with a smile  
"She'd have loved you, you know" Lofty said  
"Even though I was a man?" Dom asked interestedly  
"I don't think it mattered to her. She would see I am happy, and that was all she cared about when I was growing up, that I was happy and loved"  
"I can see why you have so many memories attached to her" Dom said  
"It it wasn't for her, I doubt I would have got into nursing." Lofty mused "I looked after her when she was sick, it was hard, but I could do it.. I was 17 when she passed. .. I think that's why I didn't go into nursing for a while after school, spread my wings so to speak, too many memories... When I was 23 I decided to sort my life out as I knew she wanted me to do something meaningful. I'd had my fun, began my nursing degree and finished 3 years later."  
" What was your Mum like? " Dom asked

"She was kind, and gently. She made each day we spent together magical." Lofty said "Hang on a second"  
He said and darted into his room. When he came out, he had a photo of a teenage Lofty and a smiling woman next to him with soft, dark curls and kind eyes. Dom knew she was a lovely person just from the smile  
"That was, well just before everything happened" Lofty said gazing at the picture.  
"So that's were those curls come from" Dom said with a smile "Though he hairs browner than yours. She looks happy" Dom said  
Lofty didn't say much but just continued to look at the photo. You could look happy in the a photo. You could pretend you were happy. A photo is a moment in time. What Lofty hadn't realised at the time the photo was taken, he's mother wasn't as well as she appeared and he'd never been able forgive himself for not seeing things sooner.  
"You don't...you know you can tell me anything, I won't judge" Dom said trying to delicate  
"No I do want to tell you, I'm just... Not ready" Lofty finished quietly  
"OK, well if it's any consolation, she helped raise a brilliant son....I'm sure she'd be proud of you" Dom said moving so he was holding Lofty's hand, gently rubbing his thumb over the finger where his wedding ring sat nestled on his middle finger and his knickers gently  
"I know I am...and I haven't known you as long" Dom said with a smile "Your Gran's proud of you too"  
"Thanks, I do hope so" Lofty said looking down at their joined hands, before meeting Dom's eyes. 

Dom smiled tenderly at Lofty before leaning into kiss him, just as the angel came tumbling from the tree landing on Dom's foot making them both start. The logical part of Dom saw the string had snapped apart, the wool obviously being very old and fraid, but a small part of Dom and the 'Christmas magic' he'd felt when decorating the tree, and sharing the experience with his husband was playing a part, and perhaps Lofty's Mum was giving Dom her blessing.


End file.
